Etymology

References

In Kabbalah and
European
Jewish
folklore, a dybbuk is a malicious possessingspirit,
believed to be the dislocated soul of a dead person. Dybbuks are
said to have escaped from Gehenna, a Hebrew
term very loosely translated as "hell," or to have been turned away
from Gehenna for transgressions too serious for the soul to be
allowed there, such as suicide. The word "dybbuk" is
derived from the Hebrew
דיבוק, meaning "attachment"; the dybbuk attaches itself to the body
of a living person and inhabits it. According to belief, a soul
that has not been able to fulfill its function in its lifetime is
given another opportunity to do so in the form of a dybbuk. It will
leave once it has accomplished its goal, sometimes after being
helped.